


For when your eyes found mine they were also drawn to me

by hllfire



Series: the universe around us [3]
Category: X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Alternate Universe - Space, Charles Xavier Needs a Hug, First Meetings, Fluff, Hurt Erik Lehnsherr, I had way to much fun naming planets and ships in this series if you can't tell, Light Angst, M/M, Pilot!Erik, Prince!Charles, Space AU, Young Charles Xavier
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-20
Updated: 2020-05-20
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:22:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24283528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hllfire/pseuds/hllfire
Summary: Charles Xavier is the future heir of his father's throne, and at the age of seventeen he has to act as one. Unfortunately, for his bodyguards, Charles knows how to disappear without being found and uses that to watch the Thunderbird Fighter ships races on the other side of the city and to see the pilot that had caught his eye from day one.
Relationships: Erik Lehnsherr/Charles Xavier
Series: the universe around us [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1718755
Comments: 9
Kudos: 49





	For when your eyes found mine they were also drawn to me

**Author's Note:**

> This story can be read on its own, but reading the series might shed some light in some stuff.
> 
> Now that that's out of the way, listen, I KNOW that this is longer than the first and second parts together okay? Consistency is not really my thing... But HEY! NO SMUT THIS TIME! ONLY PLOT! This one happens around eight years before the first and second parts of this series and focuses on Charles' pov, so buckle up to undertand more about the horny Prince (which here is mostly smitten/sad Prince if I'm honest). 
> 
> Before anything I'd like to say that the fourth part is already complete and has a posting date: June 1st. It'll come out during Cherik Week because it's the more "spacey" one with new planets and everything, so you'll have that to look up too! (And the smut comes back in the 4th part as well sigh ajsdhaj)
> 
> AGAIN a big thank you to [itsdtennant](http://itsdtennant.tumblr.com/) for another beautiful gif header. Go check her out on tumblr, she makes some nice stuff!!
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy this big boy!

"This is a bad idea." Raven mumbled behind Charles as she always did whenever they were sneaking around the palace.

Charles looked back at his best friend, only his blue eyes visible under the hood of the cloak he wore and the piece of black cloth that hid the bottom half of his face, trying to make sure that she knew with only that look that Charles wasn't backing down now. The girl groaned, expression visible for Charles since she didn't need to hide her face like the Prince did, and a smile appeared on his lips under the cloth, knowing that he had just won an argument with Raven without even saying anything. 

They sneaked around, both Raven and Charles well aware of the parts of the palace with less guards that would lead them to the secret passage that both of them used to escape, moving like shadows as they went. It was almost too easy, specially for the fact that everyone inside the palace seemed to think Charles was incapable of doing anything wrong without imploding, including his own personal guard, who usually brushed away the young Prince as just some weak little thing who wouldn't break a rule even if he was given the perfect chance. Raven often complained about the guard, mostly because she was the only one in the entire palace who knew Charles for the sneaky bastard he was, always saying that if she was Charles' personal guard she would tie him to his bed at night.

"They're idiots, all of them." Raven said once as she had her back against Charles' as they both read in one of the couches of a living room area inside the palace. They usually did that whenever Raven had to study and when Charles just wanted to enjoy one of the many books of the palace's library.

"Don't you think me innocent, friend of mine?" Charles had a smirk on his lips as he said that, mocking the way his mother had taught him to talk once that always made Raven roll her eyes.

"Innocent?" the girl snorted loudly, clearly amused at the idea, turning her head to look at Charles as he did the same, smirk still on his lips. "Anyone who looked at your eyes should be able to see that you're far from innocent, my Prince."

"I guess I'm good a concealing it, then."

"Not from me." she raised her eyebrows, shoving him slightly with her back before going back to her book.

And Raven was right, she was the only one who knew what the Prince was up to most of the time, the only one allowed to know his thoughts on everything, and the only one who knew of Charles' escapades at night, mostly because she was the one who helped Charles escape.

It took only a few turns and the opening of a panel on the wall for them to be safe under the dark passage that would lead them to the outside of the palace, a secret pathway to the gardens that the Prince suspected was unknown by his father, or else it would be better guarded or blocked completely.

Charles moved the cloth from his face to breathe a bit of fresh air as they went, a smile painting his lips as he walked calmly with Raven by his side, excited to finally leave the palace and cross the city to watch the Thunderbird Fighter ships race. It all had started with an idea from Raven months ago when Charles had been stressed enough to pull at his own hair from his mother's insistence on teaching him proper etiquette — as if Charles hadn't been taught that while growing up already — and his father's tries of talking to him about responsibility now that he was about to reach eighteen years old in just a few months, let alone the constant reminder that, in just eight years, Charles would take his father's throne as Emperor. He hated the thought of taking the power, had hated ever since he realized what it meant to be Emperor, and his father's words about that responsibility didn't help one bit.

"The power you'll have in your hands won't be an easy thing, Charles." Emperor Brian Xavier had said on a warm April afternoon as he walked alongside Charles through the gardens of the palace. Charles' jaw clenched at his words. "You'll take over after me, will have to govern an entire galaxy, and it won't be easy but you're smart and determined, always have been, and I know you'll be a good Emperor once the time comes."

That day, Charles wanted to tell his father about his doubts and fears, the fact that he didn't want to be responsible for so many people, because if he failed with them, a whole galaxy would pay. The idea terrified him in a way that almost made Charles want to cry. Instead of saying any of that, Charles bit his tongue and made his expression as neutral as possible, the only proof of his nervousness being his hands behind his back; he was pinching the space between his fingers constantly.

"Thank you, father." was all he said, voice leveled, seeing Brian smile gently down at him, clearly dreaming of seeing his son reaching the throne.

After that conversation with his father, Charles had gone to Raven immediately, bursting into her room without even knocking and letting every word he didn't tell his father leave his mouth at that moment, making Raven — who was clearly doing some important school work — widen her eyes and quickly go to his side and pull him to her bed so he could sit down as he was still talking his lungs out. When Charles _did_ cry, Raven decided that the boy needed a break from being the bloody _Crown Prince._ He was still seventeen, it wasn't fair that he needed to deal with the weight of ruling an entire galaxy when he was just a teenager, and she decided that she would do whatever it took to take Charles away from that place for at least a few hours, allow him to do something that wasn't linked to his title as the Prince.

The girl had managed to sneak him out of the palace, Charles following eagerly just for the thrill of running without being noticed and of doing something different for once, and made him cross the entire city to reach the place where the races were held so Charles could de-stress with the fast ships and the cheers from the crowd. After that one day, Charles had insisted on going again and again, much to Raven's dismay, who had to accompany the Prince on his reckless escapes. 

"This is the last race of this season, Charles." Raven said quietly by his side, eyes looking at him even in the almost pitch black darkness that surrounded them. "No more running away after that, you promised."

"I won't, I told you. I know that it would put you in a lot of trouble as well if we got caught." he answered, nodding in affirmation. "I just want to see this last race."

"Sure. It's the race you want to see."

In the darkness, Raven wasn't able to see how Charles blushed, but he felt his cheeks turning hot at her words. Charles enjoyed the races, of course. The cheers from the crowd made him want to cheer too and the modified Thunderbirds that each pilot had all looked nice and the wind that blew against Charles whenever one of the ships came too close to the crowd made him smile and his eyes light up in enjoyment. Even the weird snacks he and Raven would find being sold there was something that Charles enjoyed very much, considering he didn't get to eat those things in the palace — even Raven, daughter of a courtier from his father's court, couldn't believe that Charles had never eaten a hot dog in his seventeen years of life. But there was one thing that kept Charles hooked on the races, that made him run away from the palace for a few weeks in a row ever since Raven took him there for the first time, and this _thing_ was a pilot named Erik Lehnsherr. 

The first time Charles had stepped foot on the large open area that held the races, he saw the man on the field by his own ship, wearing a hand-me-down uniform for the likes of it as he checked if everything was alright with his Thunderbird before the race started. Charles wasn't one for instant crushes, but that pilot seemed to make Charles want to blow his cover just to talk to him and get to know him. Maybe convince him to rule the galaxy by his side. Raven had laughed when Charles told her the last part.

That first time they went to watch the race, Erik had won, making Charles even more excited about him after watching the man pilot the Thunderbird as if it was nothing, as if it was as easy as riding a bike, and win with three seconds of advantage over the second place. Not only Erik Lehnsherr was the most beautiful man Charles had ever seen, but he was also an amazing pilot, because Erik had won both races he competed. 

Raven had explained to Charles briefly how those races worked. Due to the amount of people who wanted to participate to win the big prize and the recognition it came with winning a race in the Capital of the Empire, each night of the week a new race was held with twenty participants each for the first part of the season. The first and second places would get to race again until they reached the last race or got eliminated on the next weeks, while the third place got a small amount of money and left the competition right away. That first part only lasted two weeks, twenty eight racers would go to the second part, where three more races would happen with ten racers on the first two and eight on the last. The first three to reach the finish line of these would go to the final part, which was a race between the last nine competitors to see who would get the prize. Erik had won the two first parts in first place both times, Charles was there to see it both times, and that night would be the all or nothing. Charles just couldn't miss it, specially because he was rooting for Erik to get first place again, to win it all.

They reached the end of the dark corridor and Charles pulled his cloth back over his face before pushing the heavy metal plaque that blocked the exit up for Raven to pass and help him to put down without making much noise, and soon they were sneaking again until they got to the part of the palace wall where the guards didn't check much. Raven climbed Charles' body to get to the top of the wall, hanging her arms down for Charles to take so he could climb there as well. Turned out that his mother insistence on him taking gymnastics worked for something, and soon he was sitting down by Raven's side on the top of the wall with a spark in his eyes thanks for the thrill of it. Raven fell to the ground on the other side with all the grace in the world as Charles almost fell face first by accident, landing on his feet and hands quickly stopping his body to fully hit the ground, making Raven snort before pulling him up to run away from the palace before someone noticed the two of them by the wall.

Outside, hidden by the cloak and the cloth on his face, Charles looked around excitedly at everything. He wasn't allowed to leave the palace much — sometimes he was, but only accompanied by a bunch of guards and Raven, who his father decided was very responsible — so, when he did leave alone, Charles liked to take a peek at the life outside those walls he grew up in. He often found himself amazed at the groups of people in the street, laughing and having fun while walking around in a way that Charles only had experienced with Raven before. He saw a few people around his age at a restaurant, eyes staying on them for a while before he looked up ahead again. Sometimes — most times — he wished he wasn't the Crown Prince, that he had a normal childhood and could go out and make friends and hang out with them without having to hide his face because he was the damned Prince.

He mostly wondered what his life would be if he wasn't royalty. Maybe he would be preparing to go to college now, like Raven was, instead of only preparing to start his lessons with Kurt Marko about the government throughout the galaxy and other things related to politics that Charles needed to know. Charles hated the man, and specially hated his brute son, but he couldn't complain much about him because his father seemed to trust Marko in a way that Charles would never understand, and because Marko would be his teacher, or tutor, in just a few months once Charles was finished with his basic education.

Another thing he wished to have experienced: school. He always studied at home with a variety of different tutors, never really knowing what it was like to be around other people his age and learning with them. Raven had told him countless times how school sucked and that he was lucky to study at home, but even so, he still wanted the experience. He wanted to try to make friends, to be able to work with someone in a project or just to talk to other people his age now and then. Raven was his only friend, and they were only friends because they knew each other ever since they were toddlers. At this point, it was safe to say that they had to learn to deal with each other and become friends either way because Raven's father was important in the Emperor's court, so she almost lived in the palace, where the only other kid was Charles.

All the other attempts of making friends had ended in disaster. Charles was always too much for other people, always too eager to talk to them and be friendly, always too intense and even too polite sometimes, and although the adults loved how Charles behaved, the other kids he had met had only stayed close because he was the Prince, which made Charles pull back from them. There was a part of him that was convinced he would never be able to make other friends, that he was made to rule but not to be around other people, which only made him hate the idea of being the Emperor more.

 _At least I have Raven,_ he thought as he looked at the girl by his side for a second, seeing her look back at him with her eyebrows raised.

Charles only smiled, the corners of his eyes wrinkling and allowing Raven to know he was smiling, before he intertwined his arm with hers and started walking faster. There was no time to be thinking about what Charles' future held for him, or about the fact that the idea of taking his father's place scared him to death. That night was his to enjoy, and there, with his face hidden, Charles was just another teenager walking through the streets of the Capital, going to have a fun night with his best friend. He would enjoy that.

It took a long while for them to reach the other side of the city, seeing a big number of people walking towards the same place they were going, Charles' body already getting filled with excitement for being there. He loved being around the crowd, loved the collective excitement over one thing and the way said excitement seemed to spread to everyone around. Raven always thought he was weird for that, but there, without anyone knowing who he was, Charles was able to experience what it was like to be part of a group of people. He wasn't treated differently — honestly, Charles had to hide many bruises from being elbowed many times during those past weeks — and he could feel as if he wasn't that important. He could feel normal, just another teenage boy watching the races.

When they started to get more and more into the crowd, Raven grabbed his hand so they wouldn't be separated by accident like it happened on the second time they went there and Raven had a panic attack as she thought she had just lost the Crown Prince. Thankfully, waiting for Charles at the exit in a place where he would without a doubt see her had been a good idea, and soon Charles appeared, blue eyes shining as he finally found her, sharing a quick relieved hug before Raven dragged him back to the palace. It was a rule now that they wouldn't let go of each other while moving, mostly because Raven didn't want to have to explain to her father how she had lost the Prince on a place where he wasn't even supposed to be and maybe cause her family a lot of problems, but also because Charles also didn't want to explain to _his_ family how he managed to escape the palace.

They found a nice place next to the fence that separated the crowd to the beginning of the race course, where the Thunderbirds were stationed, and where they would be able to watch the big screens that would live stream the parts of the course beyond that start and finishing line. Raven quickly took money from Charles' pockets to buy them snacks as a guy passed through them selling a bunch of different things that Charles had no idea what they were, when Charles' eyes found who he was looking for.

Erik was climbing down his ship, feet hitting the ground heavily as his eyes watched the metal on the side of his Thunderbird for a moment — a maroon and silver ship that had a few dents here and there but that was as fast as the wind —, checking to make sure the ship was in a good state. Charles stared at him, cheeks blushing immediately when he noticed that he was staring, but couldn't move his eyes away. He felt ridiculous there, having a crush on a guy because he was a fan of his racing and because he was handsome, but he couldn't bring himself to stop the warm feeling that took over his body when he watched Erik smile at another racer on the course. It wasn't even a nice smile, it was a teasing one to show that Erik intended to win that night, but Charles found it incredibly charming.

His eyes widened when he noticed that Erik was suddenly looking his way and coming closer to the fence, a few people who were there to root for him cheering and screaming his name as he did so, even if his eyes looked bored, stern expression never breaking. For a moment, Charles thought that Erik was coming his way, prompting a desperate state to take over Charles' body.

_Oh fuck, he's going to talk to me? Oh fuck, fuckfuckfuck-_

Charles' panic — and excitement — only died down a bit when he noticed that there was a man standing by his side with a hard look as he stared at Erik, hands on the fence like Charles' were. It was him who Erik was looking at, with some kind of concealed rage behind his eyes, as if he'd prefer not to get close to that man but walking towards him anyway. He got to the fence, eyes hard on the man standing beside Charles as they started to talk about something that Charles wasn't really paying attention since he took this moment to watch Erik more closely.

The Prince had debated for days on what was the color of Erik's eyes, since sometimes they looked blue like the waters of a river, sometimes green like gemstones, sometimes grey like clouded skies, and now, upclose, he could see they had that greyish look thanks to the lighting around them. Beautiful either way. He was also taller than Charles, which only made the Prince beam internally even more at the thought of having to get on his toes to kiss Erik. As soon as that thought came, Charles blushed even more under the cloth, mind still grasping the fact that Erik was very close to him, feeling completely ridiculous again.

"Shaw, I've told you many times to stop worrying." Erik's voice made Charles stare even more, sounding in his ears like the best thing the Prince had ever heard, and he knew that if Raven could hear his thoughts, Charles wouldn't stop hearing about it ever again. "I'm gonna win this thing."

"You better, son. Or you won't like the consequences."

Charles frowned at that, suddenly aware of the conversation around him and how Erik seemed tense under the angry gaze he carried towards the Shaw guy. The man beside Charles seemed to be calmer, his body not as tense as Erik's, but his expression was nothing but dangerous as his cold blue eyes stared down at the pilot. There was something going on.

"I'm not your son." Erik grunted, apparently not knowing how else to respond. Shaw only smiled, eyes still cold.

"I raised you didn't I? Now go back to your ship. You have a race to win."

The way the man said it almost sounded like support. _Almost._ It was almost the same tone that Charles' own mother used with him whenever she was pissed at him for something but had to convince Charles to do something for her, and it sent chills up the Prince's spine because it sounded way more threatening coming from that man. He looked back at Erik when he noticed the Shaw guy leaving the fence to go to _God-knows-where,_ seeing Erik's jaw clenched as he tried to get his breathing straight again. A few people screamed around them, cheers for Erik, and that seemed to wake him up from some kind of trance, expression softening before he sighed. 

As he was turning to go back to his Thunderbird, their eyes met, grey skies against blue oceans, and Erik stopped for a moment as Charles widened his eyes and looked away, his entire face going red under the cloth that hid it. He heard Erik chuckle before walking away, back to his ship, leaving Charles with the memory of those grey eyes on him and knowing that he would never forget that. By his side, Raven touched his shoulder, completely oblivious as to what had just happened.

"Candy?" she offered. Charles blinked a few times.

"Later."

It took a few minutes for Charles to gather himself back together, which was time enough for the speakers on the race course announce that the race would start in two minutes. Charles' eyes looked at Erik again, watching the man check his ship one last time before climbing on it and put his helmet on. By Charles' side, Raven cheered for a moment, offering the candy she had bought to him again and this time he took it, bringing the small pieces of candy to his mouth by putting his hand under the cloth to avoid taking it out. Charles' eyes never left Erik.

 _"Welcome, everyone."_ a commentator said through the speakers, making Charles' eyes finally part from the pilot to look at the big screen that showed the name of the competitors of that night's race. _"Tonight's the big night, last Thunderbird race of the season! If you still don't know who I am, my name's Sean Cassidy and I'm here with my lad, Alex Summers."_

_"We're being paid to narrate what everyone here is already seeing. But hey! I'm not complaining. Who's your bet tonight, Cassidy?"_

_"Either Elizabeth Braddock or Erik Lehnsherr, Summers. Those two been on fire on all of the races they've been in and I can't honestly decide who I like more. It'll be a shame that one of them will break their streak."_

Charles looked over at the Thunderbird that belonged to Elizabeth Braddock as he heard that, knowing from other nights commentaries that Elizabeth — also known as Psylocke thanks to the graffiti that she had done on the side of her Thunderbird with that nickname — had also won both races that she had participated and that she was a great pilot, just too violent on the course, almost crashing another ship during her first race before arriving in first place. 

_"Psylocke is dangerous on the course."_ Alex Summers pointed out. _"But Lehnsherr is dangerous as well in his own way. He has control over his ship like no one else I've seen in other races. I've heard he has already won other competitions around the globe before and that he's aiming to leave the planet to try his luck in the races that are held in Zoran."_

_"If he wins tonight at the Capital of the Empire he might get that luck, become one of the professionals, but we'll just have to wait and see."_

In just a few moments, the race started and, when it did, Charles was hit with the same wave of enthusiasm as the rest of the crowd, screaming as the Thunderbirds started to fly and gather speed as they went, quickly disappearing in the dark horizon, only seen by the lights on their rears. Everyone was now watching everything from the big screen, the cameras following the people that were ahead. Erik was in second place, very close to the first place and, for what the screen showed on the camera inside his ship, he looked very focused on the person in front of him, grey eyes determined in a way that made Charles lose his breath. He looked extremely handsome while piloting, as if there was nothing that would break his concentration at that moment, and he definitely looked like he knew what he was doing as he flew. It was almost hypnotic for Charles to see him flying the ship.

"He's not taking the lead." Raven said by his side, making him look at her as her eyes stared at the screen with curiosity painted all over them. "He can, but he's not doing it."

Raven was right, Erik seemed to be slowing down whenever the chance to take the first place arrived, keeping his position purposefully. It was odd.

"He must have something up his sleeve."

"He better have. Would be a shame if we had come all this way to cheer for him and he just lost like this."

Charles frowned to himself, remembering the clear threat that the other man, Shaw, had made to Erik in case he lost, and soon his eyes were widening at the thought that maybe Erik was going to lose on purpose, to go against the man's wishes. Was he stubborn like that? It would be a shame if that was actually true, since Charles wanted to see Erik win on the last time he was going to allow himself to run away from the palace. He bit the inside of his lower lip, watching the race more closely.

 _"So we have Braddock on the lead with Lehnsherr right on her tail. It looks like Lehnsherr is having a hard time to see the openings that Psylocke is giving him."_ Sean Cassidy's voice ran through the course as a few people booed or cheered at the ranking. _"Weirdly enough, both of them seem to be out of their game tonight. Braddock seems distracted- See? There was another opening there! It seems accidental but I don't know why Lehnsherr isn't taking those chances."_

_"They better watch out then. Darwin is right behind them and gaining momentum."_

As much as Erik wasn't in first place, each lap he took he managed to keep the second place with no problems, his eyes still clearly focused everytime the screen showed his face inside of the Thunderbird. It didn't change much until the final lap. Someone else, another racer, Janos Quested, who had gotten first place on his race prior to this one, managed to get to second place, a roar of both cheering and booing coming from the crowd around Charles as he grabbed the fence more tightly while seeing Erik's name go down to third place on the rank.

"There's no way he'll make it now." Raven said by his side, almost screaming to be heard in the middle of so much noise. "They're going to the last curve right now and I think first and second place are trying to block him behind them at the same time that they're fighting for the first place!"

"There's no way..." Charles cried out, disappointed now that he believed Erik would lose the race after all. Even the commentators seemed to recognize that reality by now.

And then something happened. The last curve was coming fast, Erik wasn't able to pass the two other ships in front of him, but his face seemed calm as ever, grey eyes shining as his lips curved into a minimal smile from something that Charles couldn't understand. As the curve came, Quested and Braddock slowed down to be able to make it without going out of the course. Erik went _faster._ Everyone in the crowd seemed confused for a second as they saw the maroon and silver Thunderbird that belonged to Erik turn sideways as he made the curve, cheering again at full force as it went through the small space that separated the other two ships, wing almost hitting the ground as they were flying low now, right before going back to its normal position, still at full speed and now in first place, reaching the finishing line with seconds of advantage over Braddock.

Raven jumped, a surprised sound leaving her mouth as everything happened in front of her eyes, and soon Charles was laughing happily and jumping in place when he saw Erik's name appear on the big screen as the winner. Inside the Thunderbird, Erik smiled proudly as he landed the ship, his eyes gleaming with the victory.

"The fucker did it!" Raven screamed, still smiling brightly, her eyes shining with the results of the race.

"Raven!"

"Oh, shut up you old fart! Let me curse."

 _"And with an incredible sequence of events, Erik Lehnsherr, resident of our dear old planet Earth, takes the prize, ladies and gentlemen!"_ he heard the voice of Sean Cassidy say through the speakers. _"The crowd surely seem too love the twenty two year old pilot who just gave us a show in these last few seconds. He surely has a career in piloting ahead of him."_

Charles watched in awe as Erik climbed down the ship and jumped to the ground with a giant smile on his lips that was all teeth. It wasn't as teasing as the one that he had given the other pilot earlier, but it was happier and there was pride all over his face. Charles could see that even if Erik was a few miles away. He found out he liked that smile.

 _"I've never seen a Thunderbird do a stunt like that, Sean."_ Summers said now for everyone to hear. Erik seemed to smile brighter as he heard that. _"They're not really made to be sideways like it happened when they're under the influence of gravity and all that, you have to be_ really _skilled to make a Thunderbird fly sideways."_

_"Well, Lehnsherr clearly is."_

"I can't believe you got what you wanted even here." Raven joked, pushing Charles to the side and making him chuckle. "The opinion of a Prince is worth something even here, huh?"

"Oh, shut up, Raven. He won because he was the best pilot here. You heard Cassidy and Summers."

Around them, the crowd was going crazy as Erik smiled and waved at them, making Charles blush under his cloth again at how happy the man looked at that moment, stopping only when he noticed the way the grey eyes hardened like steel as he looked somewhere in the crowd. Charles followed his gaze, seeing the man from before standing and clapping slowly next to them, anger clear in his eyes as he did so. Charles wondered why that Shaw guy seemed so angry if Erik had just won the race and the three thousand pound prize that came with the victory, but it didn't take long for the Prince to understand: Erik had stayed in second place until the end, almost losing the entire thing because Erik was being defiant. Shaw was pissed at that.

"Hey, maybe I can sneak you into Lehnsherr's booth." Raven said suddenly by Charles' side, making him look at her wide-eyed. "You can at least try to get an autograph or just talk to him."

"I can't talk to him! My cover-"

"Charles, almost no one knows your face, your parents made sure you weren't abused by the press when you started growing up. You know exactly that you'll only really be out publicly when you reach eighteen." she reasoned as Charles pursed his lips even if she couldn't see it. "And even if he _does_ know your face, it's carefully covered except for your eyes, and no one knows what your voice sounds like!"

Charles thought about it, about talking to Erik, seeing the pilot put his helmet back on the ship as a team came to check the ship for him so he could go and rest from the race. Charles would never see him again probably, he had already promised Raven that he wouldn't sneak away from the palace anymore so often thanks to the consequences of being caught and, even if he did, Erik wouldn't stay there. It could be the only chance for Charles to talk to him, to express his admiration to the pilot, and maybe thank him for racing and being so good at it that Charles was able to forget who he was to only think about Erik and his skills — and his eyes, but that was an added bonus. He looked back at Raven after a few moments, nodding at the girl and seeing her smirk before taking his hand and dragging him through the crowd. 

It took them a few minutes to reach the booths where the racers had a chance to rest, too many people in their way that elbowed them as they tried to pass. There was a guard at the backdoor that made Charles think that Raven's plan wouldn't work. That is, until she turned to him with that clever spark in her pale blue eyes.

"Alright, get ready to run to the door once I distract the guard."

"Are you _crazy?"_

"Don't chicken out now."

Charles didn't get the chance to say anything else, seeing Raven move away from him and towards the guard, her expression turning sadder suddenly, making Charles frown.

"Sir? I lost my father." the girl said, eyes shining with tears, making Charles raise his eyebrows at her acting. "Can you please help me?"

The guard seemed to get terrified of seeing Raven cry in front of him, shushing her and putting his hand on her shoulder as he looked around, clearly annoyed at the teenager in front of him.

"I can take you to the medical bay. You can ask the lady there to call for your father on the speakers."

"That'd be great, sir."

Raven looked behind herself once the guard left with her, winking towards Charles and mouthing for him to meet her at the medical bay after. Charles almost gave a full on laugh. She was good, he had forgotten how good of an actress Raven was.

He didn't miss his chance to get into the door and start wandering through the few corridors that composed the booths area, still smiling at Raven's acting there. It wasn't long until Charles saw the door with Erik's name on it, printed on paper and stuck to the wooden door. It was slightly open, and he felt his heart leap in his chest at the idea of talking to Erik for the first time, until he heard the voices coming from the inside of the booth.

"I _won!_ That's what matters, is it not?" Erik's voice was filled with anger again, booming like thunder in the small room. 

Charles walked closer, letting his eyes peek inside the room with curiosity, seeing Erik there, standing in the room with his body completely tense, the jacket of his racing uniform tied around his waist with a simple grey shirt covering his torso, hair a complete mess and eyes so full of fire that almost made Charles turn around and give up.

"You were trying to be a brat by staying in second place, son, don't think I didn't notice." the Shaw guy spoke from a place in the room Charles couldn't see, voice just as cold and dangerously calm as before. "You could've lost the _fucking_ race because of your stubbornness."

"But I didn't, because you know I'm the best fucking pilot in this galaxy. There's no need to complain if I won, is there?"

There was silence for a moment, Erik's eyes hard as steel over Shaw's figure as he waited for Shaw to say something. The silence felt heavy and Charles wanted to see how Shaw was reacting at the moment, to see the body language of the man, but instead Charles only had his silence to analyze. 

"I guess you won't be getting any money this time." Shaw's voice said, breaking the silence finally.

"What?"

"You're getting too defiant, Lehnsherr."

"That's _not_ our deal you fucking asshole-"

"You almost ruined this race by being stubborn and trying to, what, prove a point?" Shaw's voice remained calm, cold and calculated, while Erik seemed ready to jump at his neck at any moment. Charles felt another chill run up his spine. "Be more obedient on the next race and we'll see about the money."

Erik was fast, so fast that Charles almost didn't see when he jumped forward with a grunt, possibly to fight Shaw. But, just as soon as he left the space where Charles was able to see him, he came back. Shaw had grabbed him by the throat, pushing him harshly against a wall in a way that made Erik lose his breath for a moment. Erik tried to fight, but Shaw seemed stronger and with a squeeze of his fingers that probably cut Erik's breathing for a moment, if the gasp for air Erik gave was any clue, he made Erik cut his fighting short.

"Remember that your lovely mother's life is in my hands as long as you work for me, Lehnsherr." Shaw said, Erik's eyes never losing that fire behind the grey irises. "She depends on the money we make to keep living, and if you keep that up I guess she'll starve to death, and you don't want that, do you?"

Charles felt the urge to barge in, to stop that man, but he had the bad feeling that he would end up in too much trouble if he did that, if he was that aggressive, but he couldn't allow Erik to be hurt and threatened by that guy like that. He couldn't fight, he was smaller than both men and there was the risk he could be found out — and he also didn't really know how to fight —, so that was out of the table. He looked into the room again, mind racing to think of what to do, when a idea came to him and soon he was knocking on the door, not allowing his mind to think too much and let him take a step back.

Shaw let Erik go, the pilot quickly gasping for air and letting his body rest on the wall behind him as Shaw walked to the door, not reaching it before Charles opened it himself, shooting Erik a quick glance before looking at the other man.

"Are you Shaw?" he asked, allowing his voice to get a little deeper just to be sure he wouldn't be recognized, his paranoia never really leaving him.

"Who's asking?"

"They're asking for you at the medical bay."

 _"What?_ What for?"

Charles hesitated, changing the weight of his body from one feet to another, trying to conceal his nervousness when his mind finally realized that it was probably a dumb decision to do that.

"There's a girl there, says she's your daughter."

"What the fuck? I don't have any daughters."

"Well, she clearly was saying she was the daughter of a guy named Shaw who worked with Erik Lehnsherr." Charles shrugged, hoping that Shaw would take the bait. He was using Raven's lie now, the reversed version of it, and he would need to thank the girl for that if that plan worked. "If she's not you daughter you should go either way, or else the security will force you there and it'll be real ugly. If she _is_ your daughter then you should _definitely_ go."

Shaw grunted, seemingly annoyed but taking the bait as he stormed out of the room and pushed Charles aside when he did so, almost making the Prince fall on the ground. Charles watched as the man disappeared and sighed in relief, eyes moving to look at Erik again, seeing the man run his hand through his own throat, probably still feeling Shaw's hold there. Their eyes met again, and Charles didn't sustain it, something telling him to not keep eye contact for too long with the pilot.

"You don't work here." was all that Erik said, voice hoarse and sending shivers through Charles' back. It wasn't even a question, Charles realized, and he wondered if Erik would appreciate the help or if he would be mad. "Thank you."

Charles looked at him again for a second before nodding, lips pursed tightly under the cloth that kept his identity hidden. The pilot took a tentative step towards him, making Charles swallow for a moment.

"Why are you here?"

Charles kept his eyes on the ground, thinking to say to Erik how much he admired him like he intended to, ask for an autograph or something, but he felt bad doing that after what he had just witnessed and while seeing the forming bruises on Erik's neck.

Apparently, Erik was trapped with that Shaw guy and couldn't leave because of his mother, for what Charles had understood from the conversation that he eavesdropped, and it felt terribly wrong to just ask Erik for an autograph and leave without doing anything. Part of him knew that he _couldn't_ do anything, but part of him wanted desperately to help the pilot who was now looking curiously at him thanks to his silence. And, before he could get frustrated at his lack of power — ironic due to the fact that he feared the power he held — something came into his mind that made him widen his eyes. It wasn't a certainty that Charles would be able to help the pilot, but he _could_ try.

He finally looked back at Erik, seeing the pilot frown as he saw the look in the Prince's face. It had to work, he had to help Erik.

"You won't have to stay with him for much longer." Charles said, making Erik frown even more at his words. "Everything will be better, I… I promise."

Charles didn't allow Erik to say anything else, knowing that Shaw would be back at any moment once he realized that Charles had lied to him, and just bolted out of the room, getting out through the backdoor and walking to the medical bay, making sure Shaw wasn't there before he entered to spot Raven and taking her by the hand so they could leave.

"How was it?" she asked, a big smile on her face as she probably thought Charles had a pleasant moment with his big time crush. Couldn't be far from it, although Erik's eyes seemed to be engraved in his memory now, and he wasn't sure he would ever be able to forget them.

"I'll explain to you when we're on our way to the palace."

* * *

Charles just waited for his father to take all the information in before he said something else, seeing Brian Xavier's eyes look at him with a mixture of surprise and reprimand. He had told him about the races, about going to some of them at night by himself — making sure to not mention Raven in any of the stories he told —, and he told his father about Erik.

There was a vacant spot for a Captain in the Emperor's fleet, Charles knew it very well, and many of the officials that were already under the Emperor's wing were about to take a test in just a few weeks. He wanted Brian Xavier, his father and Emperor, to allow Erik to take the test, to get that chance of serving the Emperor closely, because if Erik did take the test and passed, he wouldn't have to deal with Shaw anymore. He would be able to provide for his mother and have a better life. But he needed his father's approval first.

"Charles, you-" Brian started, stopping only to sigh and rub his eyes with the tips of his fingers. "First of all, you _do_ know you'll now have double the security around you to prevent you from leaving again, don't you?"

"I don't care." and Charles didn't. He knew what telling his father all of that would lead to. He would be more than never kept from leaving without the guards around him, any chance of freedom lost now. But he didn't care, because there was the chance he would be able to help Erik by sacrificing that small freedom he still had. Brian seemed to notice that, that determined look in his son's face, and something in his expression shifted. "Just… don't tell mother. Please."

Brian smiled at that, both of them knowing that Sharon Xavier would faint if she found out her son was out and about with the commoners and with the risk of being caught there without any kind of protection. She would faint, and then wake up and scream louder than a banshee about how Charles would be grounded for the rest of his life, even when he became the Emperor himself.

"And you said that the Lehnsherr guy is a good pilot?"

"The best." Charles couldn't see himself but he was sure his eyes lit up just then. "You should see him fly, he does it as if it's second nature."

"But he's young. You said he's twenty two. He'll have to compete against more experienced pilots, Charles."

"Just give him a chance, father." Charles stepped closer to Brian, eyes pleading silently. "He needs it…"

The Emperor looked over at his son again before sighing and nodding, making Charles smile widely and almost jump in his place. Erik would have a chance.

"I'll ask for him to be brought here for the test." he told Charles, sighing slightly before his eyes turned hard over the Prince. "But, just so you know, you're grounded."

* * *

Charles was at the roof of the palace — the only place he was allowed to go by his parents without supervision now because there was no way he could run from there —, Raven sitting by his side and sharing a few pieces of candy with him as they looked at the sunset together.

"So he passed the test?" Raven asked with her mouthful and Charles nodded, a smile appearing on his lips.

"I couldn't be there because my dad said I was still grounded until my birthday came, but he said Erik passed the test and that he was truly a great pilot. He'll be starting his duties as Captain once he's properly trained."

"And you didn't get to talk to him?" Charles shook his head sadly. "Sorry, Charles."

"It's alright. He won't have to deal with that guy anymore… At least I feel like I did something good."

But there was still that want inside of him, of finally properly talking to Erik and introducing himself, but he knew it would be hard to do it. Once Erik started with his duties, he would be busy enough to not be in the Capital for too long, and Charles was still very much grounded. But, as he watched the sunset, something inside of him made him hope that maybe he would get to talk to Erik at some point, the idea making him smile at himself as he ate another piece of candy.

 _One day,_ he thought to himself, storing that hope inside his chest.

* * *

When Charles finally reached eighteen on a sunny day in July, he wasn't grounded anymore and his first decision on that day was to pull Raven with him to go out and try to find Erik. He had been waiting for that for months, locked inside his room for most of those months thanks to his punishment for escaping the palace unsupervised, and he wouldn't miss that chance.

The girl had complained as he didn't even care for her happy birthday wishes, only dragging her to where Erik should be, next to the Emperor's ship since he and his father would have a small trip to commemorate his birthday before Charles appeared publicly so the entire Empire was aware of the Prince's coming of age. When he reached the ships, he looked around excitedly, searching of the Emperor's Captain, frowning when he noticed another man there.

The man noticed Charles' presence, eyes going wide before he bowed respectfully to the Prince and smiling at him kindly, even if still slightly nervous.

"Your Highness, I didn't expect you here so early." he said, making Charles frown even more.

"I'm sorry, but where's Captain Lehnsherr?" 

The man seemed surprised at the question for a moment before the smile came back to his lips. "Captain Lehnsherr is on duty at Cassandra's moons with other officials. I'll be your Captain for today's trip, your Highness."

 _Cassandra's moons._ Light years away from Earth. Light years away from Charles. The Prince quickly stopped himself from looking disappointed, smiling back at the pilot in front of him and nodding gently. By his side, Raven noticed how stiff her friend had became with the information.

"I see. Thank you. I'll be back once my father's ready to leave."

The pilot bowed towards the young Prince and Charles reciprocated by nodding respectfully before turning back to leave, still wondering why he couldn't seem to be able to even talk to Erik once, their only encounter still haunting his mind, grey eyes haunting his dreams.

* * *

As the years passed, Charles stayed with his only friend being Raven since he was kept on a tight leash all the time so he wouldn't run away like he did when he was seventeen. He gave up on the idea that someone would ever really want to talk to him as his power grew and more and more people started to take advantage of it. It didn't mean that Charles didn't charm people constantly, specially after Raven left for college.

He was locked inside the palace with the knowledge that he would be the Emperor someday and alone until Raven came back and turned into his bodyguard after proving she was more than capable to protect the Prince. He learned to deal with that, to pretend that he didn't care anymore — Raven wasn't the only good actress there —, and his only contact with others where he didn't have to worry about who he was and who he would become happened in dark rooms and soft sheets, generally under the influence of alcohol. It was the only time where he would truly forget about everything else around him. Raven didn't approve of his behavior, but he would only flash her a smile and shrug. _It's the last time,_ he'd lie.

When his twenty fifth birthday was about to arrive, and with it his crowning, not even the sex was able to distract him from the dread that consumed him. He managed to pretend that he was fine, even if one day he tried to talk to his father about his fears in a way that didn't show how Charles was terrified. His father of course dismissed it, said that it would end once Charles took over the throne, and he had obediently nodded and wondered for how long he would be able to keep the façade until he broke.

When the day for the damned travel came, Charles was a pile of nerves. His first diplomatic mission as the heir of the throne. He wasn't paying attention to anything around him as he packed his bags, eyes lacking the focus needed to do that task and being helped by a quiet Raven as she folded more neatly a shirt that he had thrown inside the suitcase.

"At least you'll be able to talk to Lehnsherr after all those years, right?" she said after a few minutes of uncomfortable silence, and Charles finally reacted to something, frowning and turning his eyes towards the girl.

"What?"

"Lehnsherr. Erik Lehnsherr. The guy who you helped become your father's Captain." Raven explained calmly, putting down some clothes as she looked over at the Prince. "He'll be the one taking you in this trip."

Charles' eyes widened for a moment, so distracted by his own misery that he didn't even realize who would be the Captain of his ship. Something flared up inside of him, an old feeling that brought back the memory of grey eyes that Charles seemed to have forgotten with time.

Erik would be there. Charles would finally be able to talk to him after all those years. He smiled to himself, Erik once again making Charles forget what was going to happen in just a few more weeks and giving him something else to focus on. Maybe the trip wouldn't be that bad.

**Author's Note:**

> Kuddos and comments are always appreciated!
> 
> Find me on [tumblr!](http://hellfre.tumblr.com)


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